Spring
is going to come this year, isn’t it? In a way I’m sorry when the cold weather
retreats, because that means the end of rich soups and stews. But it also means
the beginning of fresh vegetables and grilling and all manner of other good
things. It’s a fair trade.
Anyway,
as I watched yet another Nor’easter roll through recently, I found myself
craving something that was not full of cream and butter and all that good bad
stuff. I had a nice piece of pollock in the refrigerator (you could use any
firm-fleshed white fish for this, like cod or hake), and I was thinking of
something light and flavorful.
Many,
many years ago, I gave my not-yet-husband a wok for his birthday. We have used
it often over the years (and it shows). It came with a steamer tray, which we
have not used over those years (I had
to peel off the original label to use it here). Then I settled into one of
those “what if?” moods.
Let’s
give the fish some flavor. So I made a very simple marinade (the amounts will
vary depending on the size of your fish—you can start with a tablespoon of each
of the liquids—but not the sesame oil!):
Soy
sauce
The next Museum Mystery, coming June 2014
Sherry
A
dash of sesame oil (not too much!)
Sliced
lemon grass (if you happen to have any)
Peanut
oil
Freshly
ground pepper
I
rubbed that into the fish and let it sit while I sliced other things. What did I have? Garlic. Ginger. An onion.
Green onions. Nice bright flavors.
Then
I found a bag of dried wood ear fungus lurking in my pantry. You have to soak
that in boiling water for a bit before you use it, but that’s easy.
 |
| Shredded wood ear |
I
laid my fish filet (I happened to have one piece, but you could do it with
individual serving-size pieces) over the sliced vegetables. I poured an inch or
two of boiling water carefully around the side, and added the reserved wood ear
liquid. Then I covered the wok and set it over a low flame for about ten
minutes (time will vary according to the thickness of the fish).
 |
| Ready to steam |
